SWNOVELS Sworn Enemy: Chapter 26
“Wait. So…June and Charles made you breakfast?”
I nod, and Jason turns to Patrick, his eyes wide. “You have no idea how huge this is!”
Patrick laughs, grabbing another slice of pizza from the box on our coffee table. He and Jason came by with the pizza to talk about my dad’s visit. Patrick had the county attorney contact my father to remind him that breaking and entering is a serious crime. I doubt he’ll be visiting me again.
Family drama aside, we’ve had a couple of casual dinners like this, and it feels wonderful. And a little bit like family.
“Actually, I can’t say that I’m surprised,” Patrick says, responding to Jason. “The Wills family are good people. I can see it taking his mom a while to get there—of course it would—but I’m not surprised that she did.”
“Yeah?” I ask, looking up at the man who’s made my brother’s life so happy.
“Of course, Justin. Why do you think so many people in town shop at Jason’s store and hire you for fencing?”
“I thought it’s because I’m good at it.”
He smiles. “You are. But they were willing to see if you were good because you were doing the work. Life is often unfair and cruel, but sometimes you get to see the fruits of your labor.”
I told Charlie he’s lucky to have the family he does, but I realize at this moment that I’m lucky too.
Jason grins at me. “And hey, it’s almost time to install the nicer fencing around Charlie’s property, right? When’s that going in?”
“It’ll be another few weeks, but soon enough.”
Thinking about the fence installation has me reframing how things worked out with the fire. We Jennings brothers may not be much, but we show up where it counts, and we take care of the people in this town. This installation on Charlie’s property isn’t just about replacing a fence. It’s about setting things right for the person I care about.
“Here,” I say, pushing a sports bottle full of chilled water into Ant’s hands. “We’re nearly done here.”
He grumbles but accepts the bottle and greedily drinks it, sweat pouring off his face.
I return to the rhythmic double tapping of the nail gun, putting together the final stretch of gorgeous open cedar fencing that now surrounds Charlie’s property. Charlie’s on a quick op to Dallas, and I want this to be finished when he rolls back into town later today.
He’s been especially busy these last few weeks, but we’ve made time for each other whenever we could. Sometimes it’s just a quick shower and hand job, but even that feels amazing.
It’s not just the sweetness though. There’s a protective side to Charlie that I think I underestimated. After my dad’s visit, he insisted on security upgrades, including a new set of locks and a security system.
Our one and only argument so far happened when he visited me after a late op and my security alarm didn’t go off. It was less an argument and more super concerned nagging that ended with make-up sex. I have to admit, I remember to set my alarm every night now before I go to bed.
Good times.
A little while later, I hook the nail gun onto my tool belt and survey the property. He’ll want to complete the construction before adding any more greenery, but Charlie bought a dozen or so trees from the local nursery, and those were delivered and planted last week.
He got a nice mix of fast and slow growers, so some of the little staked saplings will become shade trees in no time. And something tells me I’ll be here to see it.
I would’ve battled myself to believe it just a few weeks ago, but that breakfast with Charlie’s parents changed something in me.
It’s silly to call a breakfast healing, right?
But when the people who have every reason to hate your guts see and accept the changes you’ve made as a person, when they accept your apology…well…that’s gonna stick with me for a while.
Looking over to Ant, I hope to pay it forward. Over the last several weeks, he’s been relentlessly asking me where he can help and what he can do. It’s easy to clock his struggle with self-worth, seeing as it is similar to mine.
Still, he’s so smart and has picked up many usable skills. Even though we nearly parted ways over driving lessons, he pushed through his fears and has become a competent driver with a license and everything. I’m told I shouldn’t ask how, but his papers were miraculously expedited.
It made me proud that Ant was excited to help me with the fencing around Charlie’s property now that the frame out and exterior of the house and bunkhouse are done.
I was surprised when Charlie told me he’s finishing the interior details himself. It’s been slow going because he’s had several assignments in the interim, but it is starting to come together. The way I figure it, moving past his earlier reticence now makes him want to embrace life here in Central Texas. Maybe it makes him want to put down roots.
Now that the wood floors are all down, we’ll try to get his baseboards done tonight.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to some extended time with him. Charlie and Erik are taking a few weeks from the ops work to finish up the house. Erik is still in the trailer, waiting for the bunkhouse to be built out, but Charlie’s been sleeping on a mattress on the floor in his house.
Occasionally, so am I.
“Charlie’s coming back tonight?” Ant asks, a little too knowingly.
I can’t help the smile, even if he’s kinda making fun of me. “Yes.”
He laughs. “Then let’s get going. The second you two lock on to each other, everyone else disappears, and I’ll have to hitch my way back home.”
“Hashtag sorry, not sorry.”
“You’re not supposed to say the hashtag. You sound like a dork.”
“Whatever. Get in the truck.”
Using the new back entrance at the Bash’s place, I’m able to get Ant back home in half the time it’d normally take. I wave at Anders and Omar as I leave, a Tupperware bowl full of Anja’s dumpling soup riding shotgun with me.
I check the rearview mirror, my eye catching on the overnight bag in the back, and I can’t help but grin. In addition to condoms, lube, and a change of clothes, I also packed a paddle. We’ve been playing with the spanking, and I want to push it to the next level. Hopefully, Charlie will enjoy the surprise.
Another surprise I’m hoping he’ll like is the grand opening event that Sam and Desi want to throw for the equine therapy center.
Charlie still doesn’t feel comfortable talking about it, like maybe he thinks people will shy away if he brings up the therapy aspect of the horses. Thing is, I know it’s important to him because Sam told me Charlie’s got a number of horses on backorder.
Whether or not he’ll acknowledge it, he wants to ensure that all municipalities, big or small, have access to these multifaceted horses. I sometimes wonder if he doesn’t understand that this dream of his represents the very best part of him.
Since I don’t need to drop anything off, I make my way over to Charlie’s in short order. Charlie’s got the parking for his truck in the back, so I swing around and—hallelujah, he’s home. I park right next to him, curious about the other car.
Maybe he got some other sucker to help him finish out the interior. That puts a dent in some of the slightly irresponsible shirtless nail gun handling I planned, but I don’t mind waiting. I knock on the back door, even though Charlie’s told me to walk in a few times.
I knock again and hear something being shoved around.
I told that man to wait on moving any furniture.
I let myself in and walk through the kitchen, greeted by the sound of the compressor I lent him and, sure enough, Charlie’s moving around furniture.
Stubborn mule.
Despite the rustic cabin exterior, the kitchen he designed has modern appliances and nicer cabinets. He managed to save some of the original wood floor, which he’s sanded down and repolished for use in the kitchen and dining area.
It looks like a bachelor’s kitchen, full of modern amenities and completely lacking in anything lacy or floral. I didn’t even know you could have a kitchen without a picture of a lemon. I snort to myself, and it reminds me to tell my brother that we need to upgrade our kitchen.
I call out, but he doesn’t respond, so I head into the living room, surprised at how loud it’s getting. Is he moving furniture, or is he entertaining elephants in the living room?
Peering around the corner, I freeze in my tracks.
Charlie isn’t moving furniture.
He’s fighting an enormous man, and if the blood pouring from the cut on his head is any indication, it’s not going well.
Charlie goes in with the move he used on that first guy in Sonora—a palm strike. Unlike the untrained ogres in Sonora, this monster knows what he’s doing.
I watch, horrified, as the man blocks Charlie’s hand and aims for his ribs. Charlie curves away from the guy, avoiding all but a glancing blow, which still looks painful. Dancing away from the man, Charlie manages a solid kick to the man’s knee but pays for it when the guy grabs his foot and shoves him to the floor.
Charlie pops up quickly, but his balance is off, like maybe his ankle is hurt. Fuck, how do I help? What if I make it worse? What if this guy kills Charlie and realizes I’m in the house?
The irritating, fast drumbeat of the air compressor finally shakes me from my frozen state. I glance over and see where Charlie was nailing baseboards to the wall. Everything is a scattered mess, like he was yanked away in the middle of working.
My eyes land on the pneumatic brad nailer he’d borrowed from me. I don’t think I’d bring anything to a fist fight, and I don’t think Charlie can stop this man.
The nail gun feels like my only option, and I don’t even know if it’ll work. They’re just skinny brad nails. But I don’t have time for doubt because—fuck—the man has his arm around Charlie’s neck. They pivot, still not seeing me, and Charlie’s face is nearly purple. He’s still fighting the man with all he’s got.
Letting the familiar numbness take over, I grab the nail gun from where it was dropped on the floor, careful to avoid the noisy plastic sheeting he laid down to protect the flooring. I turn the pressure on the compressor all the way up. It won’t kill him, but hopefully, the brads’ll go deep enough to stop him.
Inhaling a ragged breath, the sound of the compressor drilling into my brain, I place the nail gun to the man’s temple and quick-squeeze the trigger two times.
Shick-shick.
The effect is immediate, if surreal. The man lets go of Charlie and falls to the floor. His hands tremor violently, and he’s got a stunned expression on his face as his eyes land on the nail gun, then me. Then the light goes out of his eyes.
Bile rises in my throat. No, no, no, no, no.
I fall to my knees and drop the nail gun, rocking as I wrap my arms around myself. Charlie, his color still off, grabs a knife from his belt and checks the man’s pulse.
“Dead,” he confirms, stripping off his T-shirt to hold it against the wound on his head. Rising to his knees, he grabs my shoulder. “You just saved my life.”
I chance a look in his direction, and the sincerity and concern in his expression are a port in this awful storm.
“I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t think it would actually…”
My words drift off as I look at the body, which is still twitching. I begin to hyperventilate, but Charlie is there, loosely cupping his hand over my mouth.
“Slow it down, Justin. That’s right, slow, easy breaths.”
I do my best to match his rhythm, and some of the lightheadedness starts to fade.
“We need to call Patrick,” I choke out. “He’ll know what to do.”
Charlie shakes his head. “Justin, we can’t call the sheriff.”
My eyes snap to his. “Why not? I didn’t…I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Charlie kisses my cheek. “Justin, you saved my life. You’re not in trouble. But we can’t handle this through official channels. This guy…he got away from me during one of our off-book operations. Ant’s rescue, to be specific.”
“Oh my God. How did he find you?”
He looks down, shaking his head. “I took a laptop from the guy who bought Ant. Hadn’t gotten around to booting it up until last night. Thought I’d turned off the trackable elements, but it must’ve sent out some kind of signal. Maybe he wasn’t just a buyer. He might’ve been someone bigger.”
“Oh God,” I choke out, bile rising again. “Does that mean that other people might follow him here?”
“It’s a distinct possibility.”
“What are we going to do?”
“We? No.” He heaves himself to standing, then helps me to my feet. Tensing his jaw, he continues, “I can’t involve you in this.”
“Bullshit. I am involved. Up to my goddamn eyeballs.” I pull on his hand. “Charlie, please. Look at me. You aren’t alone in this.”
He lets out a dry laugh and brings his gaze to mine. His eyes are red as if he’s on the verge of tears. “Actually, I am alone, Justin. Erik and I are alone in this venture. We do have some friends that might help me dispose of this man’s body if I ask nicely, but I can’t promise that whoever sent this man will never come my way again.”
I turn away and finally empty the contents of my stomach onto the plastic sheeting. I start hyperventilating again, and he cups his hand over my nose and mouth.
“This reaction? This honest, human reaction of yours? Is why you cannot be involved in what comes next. And…”
He bites off his words and turns to grab the sheeting, vomit and all, to lay it over the man. Wordlessly, he begins to roll the body in the plastic like the world’s most fucked-up burrito.
“And what, Charlie?”
He looks up at me from his crouched position, shaking his head. “I should’ve never gotten involved with you, Justin. What I do is so dangerous, and I cannot—will not—endanger you in this way ever again.”
“Charlie? What the fuck are you saying?”
“I don’t know, Justin. I’ve loved every moment I’ve spent with you,” he says as he tucks the plastic at the ends, completing the whole horrible burrito montage. “Every part of who you are is a revelation to me. But I don’t know if we can do this. I don’t know if I can keep you safe. This is twice now you’ve been endangered by one of my operations. Once in Sonora with those assholes and now with…God.”
“Sonora doesn’t count, Charlie. Those were run-of-the-mill assholes who had nothing to do with the rescue.”
“I’m not arguing this with you, Justin. You just killed someone to protect me, and it is supposed to be the other way around.”
“Charlie, I—”
“I just—I need to think, Justin. Please. You need to get out of here. You cannot be here right now.”
“Charlie…”
Suddenly, Erik enters from the kitchen, wearing an expression I’ve never seen on him before. Before today, if you asked me if Erik Bash was capable of killing someone, I’d have said no.
I have a very different answer now.
Silently, he walks over to the compressor and turns it off. The silence is worse than the noise.
“Erik, take Justin home and stand guard. Do you think…”—Charlie pauses, looking at me—“we can get help from the team? I’ll get a volunteer to help me watch the place tonight and move the body in the morning. Unless you think—”
Erik shakes his head. “No, that’s good. I’ve got your man covered. Call Anders.”
Oh.
I’m surprised, but not. Anders has always been an unknown quantity to me, but this…tracks.
“Charlie, I—”
My words die off when I see Charlie’s face. It’s like a magic trick. The man I’ve fallen in love with disappears before my very eyes, and in his place is the predator he hides behind his sunny smiles.
“I need you to leave, Justin. Now.” His brows meet in a pained expression for a fleeting moment. “It’s for your safety. Please. I would not be able to live with myself if you got hurt.”
Erik comes to stand next to me, gesturing toward the kitchen. My hands are shaking so bad that I drop my keys when he asks me for them. I get into the passenger side of my truck, numb, as Erik turns on the engine, and we leave out of the very gate I constructed for Charlie this afternoon.
I don’t remember much about the drive home.
As we pull past our fence, I spot the sheriff’s vehicle next to my brother’s truck, and my heart drops to my stomach. How does he already know?
Before I can spiral into paranoia, Erik stills my hand. “This will never reach law enforcement. Whatever the good sheriff’s here for, I’m guessing it’s a personal call.”
“And are you…?” I don’t know what the end of that question is.
“I’m going to stay outside, out of the way, and when Patrick leaves, I’ll post up in your living room.”
“But Jason might stay the night.”
“Then I’ll post up in your truck, and we’ll figure it out.”
I nod and exit the truck.
“He’s terrified of losing you, Justin.”
I shake my head. “I’m not going to hurt myself.”
“It’s not that. I’ve never seen him so protective of someone, and that’s coming from someone who had to talk him down from killing the man who purchased Ant like some kind of fucked-up sex toy.”
A picture of Ant’s eyes lit up at seeing Erik flashes through my mind.
“The man I killed tonight. He was responsible in part for what happened to Ant.”
I don’t ask it like a question, but Erik confirms it for me anyway. “Yes. He would’ve killed Charlie and then continued trafficking young people if you hadn’t done what you needed to tonight.”
“That part of my hero or villain arc?” I ask, a numb chuckle tumbling from my lips.
“Definitely hero arc. But this next part is going to be hard. Justin, you have to keep it together in front of the sheriff.”
Okay, sure.
“Actually, I think I’ll just fall apart and tell him that my boyfriend broke up with me. You know, keeping it one hundred.”
Erik lets out a long sigh. “Yeah, that might work, and I’ll be out here if you need anything.”
With that, I walk to my front door, pausing before entering.
Jason comes up to me looking so happy.
“Hey, brother,” I say, going in for a hug.
He throws his arms around me. “Oh my God, I have been waiting for you here for an hour! I have the best news!”
Awesome. I just killed a man.
And now I have to pretend to listen to whatever Jason’s good news is. I walk into the living room, and even though I’m expecting to see him, I stumble at the sight of Patrick in full uniform, sitting on my couch.
“How’s it going, uh, Patrick?”
He stands and smiles, handsome as ever, and holds out his hand. I shake it, and he gestures from my brother to me. “Jase, I told you I still make him nervous sometimes. He can barely look me in the eye.” It takes every cell in my body to hold it together when he takes my hand with both of his. “I promise you, I am a friend, Justin. And the discretion you’ve shown as Jason and I figure out our relationship has been amazing. I know that keeping that secret has been really hard.”
Act normal.
“Uh, thank you, Patrick. Though, you should know that almost everyone has already guessed and has been asking questions. So…the only hard part is dodging questions from the Rebel Sky men because they have a pool on when you two will go public.”
Patrick’s jaw drops, and he looks at Jason. “Did you know about this?”
Jason shakes his head. “I don’t know anything, Daddy. You’ve had me under your spell for over a year now. I’m barely aware of the outside world.”
Wait, what the fuck?
“Jason, did you just call Patrick ‘Daddy?’ Like in a super bratty way?”
Jason pinks before winking at Patrick.
I clamp my hands over my ears. “La-la-la-la-la-la. I don’t want to hear it! I already have way too much going on. No, thank you. Just…tell me your good news and take all your freaky loved-up-ness and go home.”
Jason laughs as he hugs me. “We’re going to come out as a couple at the Food and Art Festival next week! Patrick’s gonna open the festival with a pie-throwing contest, and I get to be the first one to throw a pie at his head.”
“Boy, you don’t have to sound so thrilled about it.”
Jason, who I’ve seen swing from banker to hot mess express to boy, apparently, bites his lip. “Oh nooooo. I wouldn’t want to upset Da—you. That would be horrible.”
I look between them, watching the conversation go from celebratory to sexually charged in two seconds flat.
“Seriously, y’all can’t be doing that in front of me. It weirds me out. I pissed myself in the back of Patrick’s vehicle after the whole Broken Oak incident. This is giving me whiplash.”
Patrick raises his brow at Jason, who grumbles, then settles into a more neutral expression. “Sorry about that, Justin. We are still in the honeymoon phase and need to respect other people’s boundaries about such things.”
“Gah. Thank you.”
Jason turns to me. “Genuinely sorry about that, brother. I’m just so damned happy. It’s hard to package it all for public consumption. But…you said that you have a lot going on. What’s up?”
Oh, you know. The uszh. Put two nails in a guy’s head, and then the guy I’ve loved since puberty maybe broke up with me.
I shake my head. “You remember that whole thing with Charlie?”
“Yeah…”
Glancing at Patrick, I’m careful with my words. “He just told me he’s not sure if he can do it anymore. I understand, but I…uh, am pretty devastated right now. So yeah. If you don’t mind, I’d really like to dive face first into some rocky road and then cry myself to sleep.”
Jason pulls me into another hug. “Shit, Justin. I’m so sorry. I was surprised when you told me, but you’ve been so happy these last few weeks. You know, especially after Dad’s visit, I was so glad to see that you had someone who was all your own. I’m here for you, and if you want me to stay with you tonight…”
I hold up my hand. “No, that won’t be necessary. I’ll go to sleep, and it will seem better in the morning. If not, I’ll call my therapist or go in for a few days. I’ll be okay.”
“Alright. But don’t do that thing where you don’t want to bother anyone. I’ll check in on you, but please call me if you need me.”
I nod. “I will. Love you, brother.”
“Love you too.”
Thankfully, they take the hint and leave pretty quickly after that. I let Erik in and decide that even ice cream can’t help with this. I crawl into my bed and hug my pillow, steadily tearing up as I stare at the wall. I don’t fall asleep for a long, long time.